Never Close Your Heart
by LittleMissMidnight
Summary: He wanted to be with her but when she was taken from him so quickly can Ash accept another woman that will walk into his like by mistake? Can he open his heart once more? -one-shot- atm. Advanceshipping


****Hello, hello. Welcome to another story of mine. Honestly i have no idea where this is coming from and most likely will be deleted. XD Well i wanted to write a AU fic, something i really don't like since i hate slice of life stories BUT i wanted to give it a shot anyway. I con't know if this should be a oneshot of not. For now, it will unless you guys WANT it to be chapter.

Anyway enjoy.

**~midnight**

* * *

><p><strong>Never close your heart<strong>

I really missed the way she would hold my hand; her soft and warm smile would lift me up whenever I was down. She didn't care how long I would play with her hair just as long I was with her, and to be honest, I agreed. She was rough at first and I told myself, even convinced that I wouldn't fall for such an annoying girl but as time went on, that all changed. She wasn't all bad as I first thought. She actually had a kind and caring side to her that I never thought was possible. And to her, she never thought it was possible for someone like me to like anyone.

I was just a young twenty one year old who works at a coffee shop, she was a hard core gym trainer. I remember crossing my sights with her when her group jogged by the window shop. She had that serious look on her. She was new into town so she had nobody to talk to. So from Monday to Friday I was adapted to see her face crossing my view for only a few seconds, once a day. A few weeks into the program I would wave to her. At first she would snob me then a small smile came across her face.

Soon one day, out of the blue she told her group (that was rather small that day) to continue on the job by themselves. They agreed and went on ahead and she entered into the shop and the first thing she said:

"One hot chocolate please."

I think I nearly dropped my boss favourite mug that day as she smiled at me. I stuttered so many times making the drink I've made so many times while working there for the last three years. She laughed so many times when I dropped hot chocolate over myself.

I glared. "Not funny."

"To me, it is." She continued to laugh.

Finally I made her hot chocolate and served it to her. She looked at it, to me and pointed at her drink. "Where are the marshmallows?" She asked.

"How old are you?" I asked. "Really? Marshmallows?" I questioned.

"It's either marshmallows or no tip." She teased by holding a five dollar note over her drink.

_"Bitch." _I thought to myself and looked everywhere for marshmallows. Eventually I found them. I roughly sprinkled them on her drink. She then placed the note into my chest pocket.

"Good job sir!" She teased and ate the marshmallow. I rolled my eyes and continued on my work.

Then after that day, once a week she would enter herself into the shop and order the same thing, sometimes she would ask a hot bread roll or a biscuit with her drink. Soon every day, at nine in the morning her drink would just be waiting there. We warmed up to one another each day that passed. She told me that she had a sibling who loved to annoy her and get in her way of her job. I told her that I was an only child and that I didn't have to worry about things like that.

A month or two she entered once more and was surprised to find that I didn't made her regular drink as always. It was because I had plans. I took off my apron and walked up to her.

"Let's head out." I suggested.

"What?" She blinked in confusion. She wanted to add on but I grabbed her hand and smiled.

"I want to get to know you more. Something wrong with that?" She shook her head.

"Of course not."

I brought her to the city park. It was a great day, there weren't many people overcrowding like it would be at the mornings. We threw bread at the seagulls and I even placed some bread in her mouth and she did the same. She chased me like I was a cat and she eventually caught me. I was never a fit person. Afterwards we walked around the lake and noticed swans swimming. She held my hand and looked at me. Then I knew it.

She was mine.

She was the one to start it all; after she placed her lips on me I brought her closer. Wrapped my arms around her and smiled at her after it was over. I looked into her sparkling emerald eyes.

"Misty." I spoke softly. "Thanks for giving me a chance." She smirked.

"No worries. I'll do it over if I could." We both laughed. I looked at my watch and noticed it was noon.

"Why don't we get something to eat?" Misty nodded.

We walked out of the park holding hands, honestly it felt really odd but I had a feeling I would get use to it eventually. We soon passed a rose bush in colours of red and white. I felt her let go of my hand and run to the roses. I walked right beside questioning how a tomboy like Misty would ever be interested in roses. She picked a red rose and stuffed it into my face.

"Wha!" I pulled the flower back. I looked at it then back at her. "For me?"

"No." She teased as she played with the rose across my face. "I want you to give one to me, I want to see how romantic you can be."

Romantic? Me? A date was enough romance for me. I could still remember her fierce glare that day.

"I don't like flowers." I replied. I heard Misty do the most loudest grown I heard.

"When you're with me, you have to get use to them, boy." She winked and ran on ahead of me. I even heard her say that if I was last to get to the restaurant I would have to pay her half.

We were together for a year or two after that day. It was another morning and she placed by the window and we both waved. When she was gone I pulled out a red velvet case. I opened it and there laid a gold ring. I was going to ask Misty to be my wife. I even got Goosebumps when I kept thinking about it. I returned it into my pocket and went off to dry the tables off. And there I saw a red rose, in a glass vase. I looked around to see if I was in the clear and took it. I was going to show how romantic I really was.

But that all changed. Only an hour after I last saw her, the news lit up on the television. I didn't normally pay any attention on that small talking box. But today I did. I noticed the scene where the television report was talking about. There was a large crash site involving trucks and cars. I dropped one of the glass mugs I was cleaning that day and rushed out of the door. I could hear my other work mates calling me back but I couldn't stop.

I needed to see her.

I felt like the closer I came to her the crowd decided to block my way to her. When I got there I only saw a glimpse of her graced face. She looked she was sleeping but there was difference; blood was covering her body. I reached out to a police officer and told that girl they were taking away was my girlfriend, I knew that man believed me and said he would take me to where she was heading. And he did.

"She looks like the right girl for you." He spoke. I didn't reply anything at first.

"…Yeah." I softly muttered. I looked over at the ring I held between my fingers. "I was going to ask her to be my wife tonight."

I felt him press the brakes hard at the red light. I knew he would have done that even if the light weren't red. "I hope she will make it, for you and your life together."

"I know Misty, she's strong. She will make it."

He dropped me off at the hospital and I rushed to the reception and quickly said who I was and why I was there. The nurse wrote down where her room was and I ran as quickly as I could. I could feel my legs give up and drop down but I refused. When I reached her door I felt like knocking the whole thing down. I soon entered and saw her there.

She was awake.

And smiling.

She reached her hand out to me and like a weak puppy I walked to her, falling down a few times before I caught her hand. I saw the look on her face and I knew she wanted to laugh, like she did the first time we met. But her pain was holding her back. I held her hand tight and she brushed her other hand across my cheeks as I cried like a little child.

"…hey…" Misty started. Her voice was weak and dry. "Stop…it." I shook my head and refused. She placed her other hand on her head and patted it softly. I looked up and was smiling, for both of us. I sat at the edge of the mattress while holding her hand tightly.

"Thank god you're okay." I muttered.

"…y…yeah." I looked at her and her complexion began to go pale.

"Misty?" I asked. "What's happening?"

I could feel Misty holding my hand as tight as she could while looking at me; her eyes half open. "No, no, not now. Misty, snap out of it!" She held my hand tighter. She was looking at me, as if to hurry because she could not hold onto me any longer.

I dug into my pockets and pulled out a ring, with a ruby as the centrepiece and placed it on her ring finger. I kissed her hand and looked at her. I tried to remain strong but my tears came and I couldn't stop. We both smiled.

"Misty," I paused. "Will you marry me?" soon I saw Misty crying as well.

She nodded. "…y…yes."

I ran to embrace her and she tried to as well but she lost all strength in her arms. In fact she lost all will in her body except her voice. I held her tighter; I refused to let her go. I stroke her head and whispered that everything will be okay. I wanted to be with her, me and Misty forever more. I didn't want to love anybody else. I could feel her tears running down onto my jacket.

"I...can't go on Ash. My injuries…are too…severe... for me to ever…come back."

"Don't speak this like this! Misty!" I looked at her. She could barely look at my straight without blinking, blinking very slowly.

"I'm…sorry."

She closed her eyes.

And that was it.

That was the end.

Of my hopes and dreams to be with her.

I looked at her ring she had on her finger. I kissed her hand and brushed her hair softly. I traced my fingers over her soft cheeks before laying her down back onto her bed. I pulled out that single rose I was going to give her that day. I placed it in her hair and softly smiled.

"Thank you, for everything."

And I walked out of that room without looking back.

The funeral was a week later. Everyone that knew her was there, her sisters, even the group that worked out with her. So many people loved Misty. We all surrounded her coffin. The only thing I could see was her in a beautiful white dress that nearly looked like a wedding dress, her hair was down and she still had that ring on her. I closed the lid as the ones that loved her placed rose after rose over her coffin. I watched as the priest said his words about her.

I couldn't hear anything; all I could hear was him moving his lips making the sounds of words. I couldn't even hear my own thoughts. I was the last to put the final rose on her before they laid her down into the ground. Covered in many layers of dirt.

In a place where I can no longer see her, reach her or…love her.

I looked up to the sky; I know she was looking down at me. And I was glad that she was able to be with me, even if I couldn't see her no more. I was glad. It made me dealing with her death easier to deal with.

.0o0o0.

"Ash! Table nine needs to be cleaned up now!" I heard the boss call. "Then your shift is over!"

"Coming!" I yelled back. "God, I hate Mondays." I muttered to myself.

Two years later here I am, still working at that same coffee shop. Serving different people who ask what they want and move on. They don't greet me or even ask how my day was. I sighed and return all the clean mugs I had washed earlier. I was about to head to my last job for the day until a young woman crossed into my path. She bumped into me and spilled her drink all over my white sleeve top.

"Shit!" I yelled. I muttered more words to myself after receiving a hot treatment from a hot chocolate drink.

"Oh god, I'm sorry!" I heard her panic.

I heard her place her mug on the table beside her and rushed to some tissues and began to dry her mess off me. I grabbed her wrist. "Hey, don't bother. I get this all the time."

"No please, let me!" She panicked. She escaped my grasp but I grabbed her hand once more.

"People are looking at us, come to me to the back." I dragged her into the back of the store. I could hear her whine but I simple ignored it.

I looked into my bad where I always kept a share shirt or two when it came to busy Monday mornings. I took my shirt off and to my amazement she still stood there.

"I'm so sorry about that." She bowed down to me multiple times as if I was some sort of god she had just insulted. "sorry." She repeated. I smirked.

"I said it was okay. People always spill their drinks over me. That's why we have spare shirts here." I joked. "Sometimes I think they mistake me for a towel." I added. I could hear her laugh. I always liked leaving people on a good note rather than a harsh one.

I having trouble putting my head in until I heard footsteps come in and undo a button or two and saw it was her. She even helped me put the sleeves in and lower my shirt down. I couldn't help but blush as our faces were so close that anyone could mistake us as a couple. I wanted to look away but her eyes, somehow kept me looking at her.

"I'm May." She smiled. "I only came to you to ask to place some marshmallows on my hot chocolate until – well I bumped into you."

Her words struck a chord in me. She was the second person to ask marshmallows with their drink since…_her. _

"Are you alright?" May's words soon returned me to reality. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, I'm fine." I held my hand out. "I'm Ash." May soon accept my handshake. We both smiled.

"Nice to meet Ash." She looked at her watch. "I have to head to work now. Until next time!" She soon rushed out of the shop like nothing happened. I watched where she had left.

"Interesting." I spoke to myself. I looked back at my stained white sleeve top and sighed. "Another one for the washing machine."

.0o0o0o0.

It was another cold spring morning as I walked back to that same old coffee shop. I had my hands in my pocket and with not one care in the world. It was too cold to think of anything else but to reach my workplace where it was warm and hand around the coffee machine until my other work mates came in and question what I was doing.. I cursed to myself many times on why I had to miss the early city train this morning.

Something was bothering my mind, it was May. That strange girl that didn't stop saying sorry. Three years it's been and I've never seen her around. Was she new in town? I shook my head as I breathe warm air into my palms. Like I said earlier; it was too early to think about things like that.

I soon noticed a flower shop; I looked at it carefully and tried to remember when that shop even existed. I looked over my watch and I knew I was running late, I shrugged my shoulders and crossed the busy streets and made my way there. There were different kinds of flowers placed everywhere. As a guy I was never into flowers, and felt awkward for a guy such as myself to be looking at them. I never really walked from my apartment to work a lot, mainly because I hated walking and relied on the trains and trams way too much. I decided it was time to go until heard a call.

"May I help you with something Sir?" I turned around and we were both shocked.

"May?" I stuttered. "Who, what, where, how?" May respond with a laugh.

"I work here. That's what. I just moved into town you see. I'm working at my mother's flower shop."

Was destiny really playing with me? New in town? Marshmallows? Was I just taking all of this into too much detail? Maybe I am.

"So what brings you here to this wonderful flower shop of mine?" She greeted with a giant grin on her face.

"I thought it was your mothers?" She smiled.

"Well it will soon be mine one day, so I'm just getting use to calling it mine." I picked up a red rose that was bundled into one on a stand. I looked at it carefully and then back at her.

I began to smell it until May grabbed my hands and took the rose away from me and shook her head. "That's not how you smell a rose." She looked at me. "Do you mind?" I nodded. She placed her nose on the middle and closed her eyes before opening them once more. "You try."

"Do you mind if you do it again, I wasn't watching." I lied.

May sighed and did it once more, but longer. I couldn't take my eyes off her. The way she looked with that single red rose captivated me. She reminded me the way _she _ran past me window every morning and that day in the park. Her simple smile was wonderful and May, resembled that to me somehow. She opened her eyes once more and gave the rose to me. I smelled it just she did and once I opened my eyes I thought for a second I was looking at Misty.

But once she opened her lips and began to speak I knew it wasn't so.

Just how long was she staring at me?

I placed the rose back in her hands. "Do you have any white ones?"

"A white rose?" May asked. "Well I've never had anyone ask for a white rose before. Normally everyone wants red."

"Well you see May, white is my favourite colour."

"Oh I see. I'll go check the back."

As May ran to the back to look for my request and saw May dropped the red rose when she went to get my rose. I picked it up and placed it in my hands. I noticed there was no single thorn on it. The stem was clearly cut; I was amazed they went to all the trouble to cut every single thorn off every single rose or flower. May soon came back with one single white rose.

"I'm sorry; this was the only one I found." May took a few breaths before replying. "Sorry about that Ash." I shook my head in an apologetic manner.

"Don't worry about it. One will do." She looked at me confused. I handed her the red rose as well. "Now keep it." This made her even more confused. "Here." I handed her a five dollar note. "Think of this as a tip." May blushed.

"Well, um thanks Ash." She nervously accepted my note and the two roses. "I've never met anyone like you before, so…kind. If only there were more people like you around." I smiled.

"See you around then?" She added. I nodded.

We both said our goodbyes and made our way back to our own lives. I looked back at the flower shop. It had become my newest destination. I looked up the sky where _she _was. It was been three years since I've been affected like this before. I pulled out a white rose from my pockets and smelt it the way May had taught me. I looked back up and smiled, smiled like I never did before.

"Hey Mist, I think I'm ready to love once more. What do you think?"

A sudden gust of wind blew behind me and a few petals from the white rose few off and danced in front of me. As the wind blew past my ear I could hear a soft whisper.

_"I think it's a wonderful idea, Ash."_


End file.
